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News Roundup for June 28, 2024
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Metrolinx: Presto Fare Card

nfitz said:
Surely, we don't want people tapping the cards from inside their wallet, given all the other RFID devices many people carry.

How do you know that it isn't your RFID debit or credit card that it sees first?

The Wikipedia page for the Octopus card (for what little that's worth) notes that "Octopus uses a nonstandard system for RFID instead of the more popular ISO/IEC 14443 standards". Hmm, would that reduce card clash?
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Why would we not want that? On MTR in Hong Kong, no one takes their card out.
 
EastYorkTTCFan said:
or share it with someone else going there. My Mom has bowed Oyster cards from a friend of hers a couple of times, also a cousin I have there has extra ones in case of visiting family.
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When we rented an Air BnB in London they provided us with an Oyster card that we just had to load
 
TransitBart said:
Why would we not want that? On MTR in Hong Kong, no one takes their card out.
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We want to use an antiquated standard, with less off-the-shelf-equipment so that someone too lazy to take their card out of the wallet, can avoid burning an extra couple of calories?

Isn't it bad enough now watching the occasional GO rider do this, and take a couple of time for it to work, while you are trying to tap and run to your train because you are late?
 
LNahid2000 said:
True. When I was there a few months ago, my Amex worked fine but my friends' Mastercards failed so they had to buy Oyster cards.
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My suspicion is that these high-fee North American cards are a pain for them, cutting into profits, so they aren't accepting. But I'm just speculating.

In retrospect, would have been interesting to try my RBC Avion Infinite versus my regular RBC Visa (I keep a 2nd hidden elsewhere for backup), and my wife's PC Mastercard. In reality though, I was trying not to lose small children and watching for small bears on escalators.
 
nfitz said:
My suspicion is that these high-fee North American cards are a pain for them, cutting into profits, so they aren't accepting. But I'm just speculating.

In retrospect, would have been interesting to try my RBC Avion Infinite versus my regular RBC Visa (I keep a 2nd hidden elsewhere for backup), and my wife's PC Mastercard. In reality though, I was trying not to lose small children and watching for small bears on escalators.
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That doesn't make sense. Amex has the highest fee yet apparently all amex cards work.
 
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nfitz said:
We want to use an antiquated standard, with less off-the-shelf-equipment so that someone too lazy to take their card out of the wallet, can avoid burning an extra couple of calories?

Isn't it bad enough now watching the occasional GO rider do this, and take a couple of time for it to work, while you are trying to tap and run to your train because you are late?
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People will stand in front of the machine to take it out of their wallet. That's more of a problem with the TTC readers. The GO and 905 readers work fine with tapping your wallet or purse or even phone case.
 
Does no one have those scan-proof wallets/card holders? :p (That's why I have to take my card out -- sorry for holding up the line, although I generally get the card out ahead of time)
 
PinkLucy said:
Does no one have those scan-proof wallets/card holders? :p (That's why I have to take my card out -- sorry for holding up the line, although I generally get the card out ahead of time)
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I have one of those wallets too! I know it's just a security and convenience thing, to protect from strangers "bumping into you" having a strange thing touch my pockets (machine that takes credit card taps to steal information or charge) and remove the need to cover each individual credit/debit card with a sleeve.

It would be cool if the wallet had a button where you can toggle the shielding on and off :cool:
 
PinkLucy said:
Does no one have those scan-proof wallets/card holders? :p (That's why I have to take my card out -- sorry for holding up the line, although I generally get the card out ahead of time)
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I have a Secrid wallet that has a scan-proof compartment. I have my credit/debit cards in that compartment, and put my Presto card in the outermost flap. When I'm tapping on a Presto machine, I just have to flip out that flap. Really handy. (Rarely works in the closed position, though, I guess due to the proximity of the chunk of metal.)
 
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one thing that they really need to do for the new readers is show the balance of the cards...its a tremendous waste of money and equipment just to have a freakn checkmark when you tap on. The G1 readers have it, the rest of the world has it, why try to reinvent the wheel??!?!?!!?
 
cplchanb said:
one thing that they really need to do for the new readers is show the balance of the cards...its a tremendous waste of money and equipment just to have a freakn checkmark when you tap on. The G1 readers have it, the rest of the world has it, why try to reinvent the wheel??!?!?!!?
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They're trying to reinvent accessibility :p. Blind people need to see their balances too, but audio is a privacy issue. At this point, they may as well have the operator whisper it to them.
 
Leo_Chan said:
They're trying to reinvent accessibility :p. Blind people need to see their balances too, but audio is a privacy issue. At this point, they may as well have the operator whisper it to them.
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I simply don't understand why this is an accessibility issue. How do blind people get balances from GO and other 905 readers? Instead I get ripped off for several fares. I want my money refunded but I can absorb the hit for now. Poverty advocates have declared Presto unsuitable for those living week to week, those without internet to easily check balances, and if there is going to be persistent overcharging it's gonna be hard to argue that.
 
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